Peter Rowan

Biography

The Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band consists of outstanding musicians with over 100 years of combined recording and performance experience. Joining guitarist Peter Rowan are Michael Witcher, dobro; Keith Little, banjo; and Paul Knight, bass. The ensemble has graced the stages of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Grey Fox, Merlefest, Rothbury Australia’s National Folk Festival, and numerous other festivals domestically and abroad, entertaining audiences with original and traditional songs executed in vibrant harmony.

In April 2013 Peter Rowan, joined by members of his current Bluegrass Band, released The Old School, a magnificent blending of old school sounds and players (Del McCoury, Jesse McReynolds, Bobby Osborne and Buddy Picher) with some of the bright young talent such as Chris Henry, Ronnie & Robbie McCoury performing memorable new songs such as “Doc Watson Morning”, “Drop The Bone” and “Keepin’ It Between The Lines (Old School)”. The Old School followed the group’s debut album for Nashville’s Compass Records- Legacy; therecording, featuring traditional and original compositions, was produced by Compass owner/recording artist Alison Brown and includes Ricky Skaggs, Gillian Welch, David Rawlings and Del McCoury. Legacy received a Grammy nomination in 2010.

Peter Rowan – Guitar, Vocals

GRAMMY-award winner and six-time GRAMMY nominee, Peter Rowan is a bluegrass singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades. From his early years playing under the tutelage of bluegrass patriarch Bill Monroe, Peter’s stint in Old & In the Way with Jerry Garcia and his subsequent breakout as both a solo performer and bandleader, Rowan has built a devoted, international fan base through his continuous stream of original recordings, collaborative projects, and constant touring.

Paul Knight – Bass, Vocals

Paul Knight has been playing with Peter Rowan in various configurations for over 15 years. His driving acoustic bass has been part of recordings and live performances with a wide range of musicians including Jim Lauderdale, Laurie Lewis, and Crooked Jades, Paul is host to his own music series, Paul Knight & Friends, in his hometown of Pt. Reyes Station, CA. Several projects & bands have emerged from these shows including The Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band.

CHRIS HENRY – MANDOLIN, VOCALS

Chris Henry, son of bluegrass musicians Red and Murphy Henry, grew up around the old school sound. After intense study in his formative years, the International Bluegrass Music Association, referring to his mandolin picking, has called him "the premiere Monroe stylist of his generation." Moving to Nashville about ten years ago, Chris was fortunate to develop his singing with great performers like Shawn Camp and Verlon Thompson among many others. He received an IBMA nomination for Song of the Year in 2011 for writing "Walking West to Memphis." Chris also enjoys working as a musical educator, teaching workshops at colleges and camps across the country as well as giving private lessons, and producing recordings from his studio in Nashville.

BLAINE SPROUSE – FIDDLE

Originally from West Virginia, Blaine Sprouse took the music cue from his father, a clawhammer banjo player who taught Blaine guitar chords at age six. Before turning eighteen, Blaine fast-tracked his professional career by joining Jimmy Martin as a Sunny Mountain Boy, touring the United States and Japan. After a move to Nashville, he left Martin to fiddle for Bill Monroe's son James in the Midnight Ramblers. Much in demand as sideman and session player, Blaine toured and recorded with a stunning array of legendary bluegrass and country artists, among them, Charlie Louvin, Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys, and the Osborne Brothers. After the release of three critically acclaimed solo recordings, Sprouse produced Indian Springs, a twin fiddle album with Kenny Baker on which they exhibit intuitive chemistry. Also a gifted mandolin and guitar player, Sprouse is at home in bluegrass, blues, swing, jazz and folk.